The present invention relates to wireless network service mediation services. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for providing efficient integrated content/information services through cellular networks.
It is becoming increasingly common for content to be provided to mobile terminals operating in mobile (wireless) communication systems, for the purpose of providing mobile terminal users with up-to-date personalized information. Network operators are currently providing information services relating to stock prices, sports, news updates, vending, chat forums, and the like. Initially, network operators provided such information services by using specific messaging services such as the Short Message Service (SMS). Nowadays, mobile communication systems have extended to support mobile access to the Internet and carrier-specific online content.
Various communication protocols, including the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), i-mode, WAP 2.0 (XHTML MP over W-HTTP), etc. have been developed to provide mobile access to the Internet. When utilizing mobile protocols for communication, a mobile terminal frequently communicates with a gateway or proxy by means of a wireless protocol, and the gateway communicates with content servers via HTTP-TCP/IP to obtain content in the form of Mark-up Languages suitable for mobile devices (WML, XHTML-MP, c-HTML, etc.).
Many implementations of content information services require the content providers to utilize backend information services of the wireless network operator. The operator's backend information systems provide vital information such as user physical location, billing, user preferences and user profile, etc. Hence, the content providers are required to establish interfaces with these backend information services and request the desired information or use the utilities offered. This process of integrating content providers with backend systems in order to provide enhanced services to mobile content users is inefficient, as each content provider must implement specific communication interfaces with each backend system. In this client-server communication, the content provider is the client-side and not the server-side of the interface as it provides the content to the user, thus communication is performed via a separate channel than the regular content stream. This scheme has shortcomings: While the content provider has infrastructure and know-how for providing content (content expertise, a Web or Application server, Web programmers etc.) many times he lacks the infrastructure and resources for implementing a robust client-side interface which requires substantially different know-how. Also, the use of such interfaces causes security and privacy problems, as each content provider gains access to carrier's backend system and is able to retrieve personal user information and to access the backend-systems' network. Coping with these problems naturally complicates the interfaces to be implemented by the content providers, as they must include authentication, authorization, and many times encryption. Recently, methods and systems have been devised and standardized for alleviating such problems. Systems such as OSA and Parlay simplify the backend interface by standardizing it. However the complexity of implementing the interface is still under the responsibility of the content provider. These recent developments contribute to the present invention in that they potentially simplify the implementation of systems utilizing it.
Mobile proxy servers are traditionally used for intermediating between mobile devices and Internet or Intranet network service applications and for securing the communication thereof. In more advanced systems, the proxy servers are used for improving the navigation and content delivery from the network application.
It is thus the prime objective of the invention to provide a method and system for improving and providing a more efficient procedure for content providers' applications utilizing operators' backend systems.